Shadow Calls
by Dark Fairy of Doom
Summary: Every wish has it's price. Every action has a consequence. One man's fervid desire to hold on to his childhood puts a household and two boys in danger from vengeful creatures that only children believe in.
1. Chapter 1

Notes: Hello! Well, I hope this fic is at least a bit interesting. Please review!

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Disclaimer: I don't own XXX-Holic. I make no profit of writing this fanfiction.

**Shadow Calls: **Chapter 1(?)

_Grown-ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them._ -**Antoine de Saint-Exupery **

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Watanuki was taking dirtied dishes to the kitchen, mostly empty glasses, when the customer entered through the front door. Separated from the entryway, he heard Moro and Maru chanting, quickly dragging the client towards Yuuko's lounge room. Intense murmuring accompanied the rush of water filling the sink, and the small splashes of a dropped plate momentarily overwhelmed the low noise. Rolling back the sleeves of his shirt, he reached for a nearby rag as he dug into the foamy combination of soap and water, pushing curiosity to the back of his mind as he concentrated on scrubbing, rinsing, and drying. As he set the last cup on the drying rack, the whispering in the room descended into silence. Wringing his hands dry, he jumped at the sudden shout of "Watanuki-kun!"

Watanuki slowly stalked down the hall, his slippered feet shuffling against the wooden floor. He paused uncertainly at the doorway, eyes narrowed in contemplation. Sighing, he slid the door open; politely bowing in the direction the customer was sitting. Shifting into a kneel, curious blue eyes glanced across the room from behind a veil of onyx bangs. "Yes, Yuuko-san?" As he waited for a response, his mind processed what he'd seen in the brief glance across the room.

A pretty young woman sat on the opposite side of Yuuko, large, pale eyes lowered timidly to the floor. Her brown hair was pulled back with a thin butterfly clip, leaving her fine features uncovered. That was all readily apparent from a distance. Up close, her face was more worn, worried lines burrowed into the smooth skin beside her eyes. Her grey-brown stare was weary rather than timid, the pupils flickering with unease. Her slimly boned fingers were curled firmly in her lap, twisting the fabric of her off white skirt. Small tremors tore through the muscles around her mouth, red lips curling into a frown. "If you're done staring, we can get things moving."

Watanuki jumped, a small blush flashing into life as he forced his gaze away from the nervous woman. Seeming satisfied with his embarrassment, Yuuko's grin turned teasing. "Sorry, Tracey. Watanuki-kun just gets really taken with pretty girls."

"Yuuko-san!" A slender hand muffled her laughter, her dark red eyes glimmering. Spying a pending explosion, she waved her hands in a gesture of distraction.

"Setting that aside, Watanuki can do what you want done." Tracey's despondent stare glinted hopefully. "Now, on to the matter of payment…"

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"And then she said I would do it! She never bothers to ask me first!" Consumed in his rant, he flailed wildly, chopsticks brushing dangerously close to Doumeki's face. Without further encouragement, the tirade continued. "So now I have to go to Tracey-san's house and somehow help her! Without knowing what I'm supposed to be doing!" Growling to himself, he roughly speared a piece of sushi, shoving it angrily into his mouth. Chewing vigorously, he was unaware of the intent amber eyes tracking the flow of his moods.

Doumeki watched Watanuki's violent emotions, a semi-amused smile playing across his lips. When the other boy's expression switched from irritated to sulky, his smirk dissolved into a blank frown. In a blur, he had seized some of Watanuki's rice, swallowing loudly. Out of the corner of an eye, he could see the rising anger, blue eyes blazing in outrage. "Hey! What are-"

"She's foreign?" The sparking rage vanished from those blue eyes, dimming into confusion.

"Eh?"

"The woman, she's foreign?"

"Oh, yeah. I think so." Watanuki quickly lapsed into thought, not recognizing Doumeki's efforts to lift his mood.

"Hey!" Watanuki tensed at the address, fists violently gesturing as he wheeled to face his lunch companion.

"My name isn't 'Hey'! I made your lunch, so you can at least get my name right!"

"Hn." The dismissal made him bristle, his teeth clenched in indignation. _'Why couldn't Himawari-chan have eaten with me instead?_' He sighed at the thought of the wonderful girl, his mood turning wistful. _'She would have appreciated my food, unlike this fool!' _He glared heatedly at the archer, blue sparkling viciously.

Doumeki, showing no visible reaction to the mental daggers being aimed at him, just continued to eat. Finishing off his bento, his calm amber eyes flashed back over to the other teen. "Did she say anything else?" He anticipated Watanuki's bewilderment and elaborated without a prompt. "Yuuko-san, did she say anything else?"

"Actually, she did. Something like,_ 'Sometimes youth sees the truth clearer than age.'"_

"Then it must have something to do with what Tracey-san wants you to do."

"Really? Do you know what it's supposed to mean?"

"Not a clue."

"Then why did you even bring it up!?" The rest of the lunch continued as usual, Watanuki ranting and Doumeki not paying any attention to it. The usual silence also descended when they headed back to class, the corridors filling with students heading swiftly to their classes.

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The end of the school day saw him stomping off to Yuuko's shop, his face twisted into an agitated scowl. His body was tensed with exasperation, tendons scorching with the aggravated motions. His eyes were a fierce azure, deeper and more vicious than the sky above. He could see spirits wavering at the edges of his vision, twisting and dancing in the shadows of buildings. He paid them little mind, the forlorn familiarity of it refusing to provoke any of his infamous ire. He speeded past the front gates of the wish granting store, his form a black blur as he rushed by the soulless twins waiting to greet him. His shoes were thrown off with unusual carelessness, traded irately for worn slippers. His footsteps echoed off the walls, the heavy noise ringing oddly in his ears. His dark mood lasted as he blasted out onto a random veranda, Yuuko's trademark trails of smoke announcing her presence.

Deep magenta flickered over to Watanuki's angered stance, coolly regarding the flaming sapphire eyes burning at her from behind plastic lens. Taking a long drag from the slim pipe held in elegant fingers, her solemnly distant features morphed into knowing amusement. Mokona mirrored her actions, smiling widely with humor. "Something the matter Watanuki-kun?" She immediately turned to the magical creature sitting beside her, laughing eyes watching as her employee's remaining strands of self-control snapped.

"Doumeki! He just keeps getting on my nerves! No matter what I do, he's popping up behind me, from out of nowhere!" He contorted with energetic animation, somehow trying to convey his aggravation through vivid body movements. His message was never received. "He always acts so smug! He isn't all knowing!" More posing. More panting for breath. The witch simply waited for the rest of the smoke to blow itself out. "And today he insisted on coming with me to Tracey-san's house! I don't need his help on every job! I can take care of myself!" His anger had blown itself out, the fire disappearing from his stare. His slumped shoulders carried the apology to the woman, showing that he was sorry for having lost his head, yet again.

For once, the commonplace teasing was absent. Yuuko's gaze shifted from playful magenta to introspective crimson. Mokona jumped from her shoulders, leaping over to land on the top of Watanuki's head. Shouts of "Watanuki's so independent!" swirled around her as she stared off, the smoky lines from her pipe twirling around the strong profile of her face. _'Watanuki, you're so clueless. Doumeki-kun's actions say so much more than his words.' _She sighed in bemused affection. _'I wonder when you'll realize just how much you've missed.' _Shaking off the musings, her bright stare flashed to where Watanuki was plopping Mokona onto the floor, dashing off to the kitchen, mumbling about getting something prepared for an early dinner. "Don't forget the sake!" She giggled at the answering yell, Mokona chanting different brands of liquor in delight. "I wonder when Doumeki-kun will force him to see…"

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In the end, Doumeki was waiting for him when he left Yuuko's, his large frame a contrast to the drab outcrop of the surrounding buildings. He hissed beneath his breath at the sight, bright blue glimmering sharply. He carried some leftovers in one of his hands, the weight of the food increasing in his temper. Before the archer could even get a word out, he shoved the meal at him, briskly strolling by the taller teen. "Here. Yuuko-san said I should thank you for volunteering your company." His vehement disagreement to her sentiments was left unspoken. "Just take it and be grateful."

"Hn." Watanuki's thin shoulders tightened painfully at the sound, but he forced back the retort searing on the tip of his tongue. The sooner the job was finished, the sooner he would be able to get away from Doumeki.

Bland amber remained unaffected, simply staring down at the box that had been shoved into his hands. Readjusting his bow, Doumeki grasped onto the cloth wrapping, following silently after the still rampaging Watanuki. Though the other boy was going full out, he caught up with him quickly enough, quietly walking at his side. He could feel the brief glares thrown at him but paid them little thought. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary.

The rest of their journey was fulfilled in silence. They reached the destination just as dusk settled, the skies above them dusted with worn pinks and purples. The large house stood apart from its neighbors, a low fence dividing the territory into uneven plots of land. As they made their way closer, the nameplate above the door flashed in the twilight: Tsumamori. Watanuki took it in with a blink, just then realizing that he hadn't known Tracey-san's family name earlier. Shrugging off the bizarre surrealism settling along his senses, he marched towards the front door, Doumeki a silent shadow behind him.

The doorway was just as extravagant as the rest of the home, the foyer before the door littered with decorative stones. There was a kitsune statue positioned opposite the doorway, the carved eyes balefully glaring into the entrance. Though there was a button for the interior doorbell, an outdated knocker was still present, crafted into the twists of a Chinese dragon. A little stricken by the clashing ornaments, it took Watanuki a while to gather up the courage to reach out to ring the bell. Doumeki shifted closer as the loud gong-like noise filled the house beyond, silently offering the slighter boy protection. Watanuki steadfastly denied that he was grateful for the action.

It took only a moment for someone to cautiously pull the door open. Tracey's hunted eyes flashed out at them, something dark slithering to the recesses of her gaze as she wearily smiled. Without a word, she gestured for them to come in, moving back to grant space. She practically slammed the door behind Doumeki, jumping in fear at the resulting clamor. She nervously hid her shiftiness, grinning more forcefully at Watanuki. For some reason, she did her best not to look at Doumeki. It was as though something about the taller boy unsettled her. Watanuki didn't really notice that fact, but Doumeki did and he filed it away, amber darkening in suspicion.

They followed her into a surprisingly small den, three of the four walls filled with heavy bookshelves. Strangely, there weren't that many books. Instead, most of the shelves were piled with bizarre knickknacks, such as a pair of cat figurines, which looked as though they had been fossilized in granite. There was a small crystal wolf, its inset jade eyes burning with startling lifelike quality. That particular piece made Watanuki uneasy. Actually, now that they were inside, everything about the house unsettled him. There was a buzzing along his nerve endings, the inherent instinct that told him something was _wrong_ here. It wasn't the vibrant sensation of alarm or warning, but it did make him tense. He really didn't want to be here.

Tracey seated herself on a loveseat, leaving the couch facing it open for her two guests to use. She fidgeted as they moved to sit, her pale stare drifting frantically from trinket to trinket. Once they were facing her with curious and bland expressions, her own countenance morphed into desperation. "Do you know what to do?" The flash of denial in bright blue answered her question. She sighed in hysterical disbelief, slim fingers twitching in painful frustration. "I suppose I need to tell you." Taking a deep breath to steel herself, she plowed onward. "A couple of months ago, my son stared seeing…things. I just thought he was making up stories. He's still young and he doesn't really have too many playmates. So, I mostly ignored what he told me. After a while, though, I began to notice them too." She shivered in remembrance, grey-brown bordering into a near charcoal. "I thought we were both going crazy. Then, I just couldn't take it anymore. That's when I passed by that shop. I was drawn in and Yuuko-san said you could help me." She had stared at her feet for the course of her relatively short narration and she glanced up at the ending, sharp hope brimming as she regarded Watanuki.

Watanuki's senses had sharpened as her story went on, the shadows seeming to deepen as the recounting continued. He jumped when she abruptly stopped and stiffly smiled as a dull ache settled into his temples. "We'll do our best." He didn't care if he was speaking for Doumeki. The archer had done it for him a lot of times. "Can you tell me what they looked like?" While the vague tale had answered a few inquiries, it also opened up a lot more questions. Tracey hadn't really helped him to figure out what they were going to be dealing with. But he was pretty sure she wasn't insane. The increasing ache in his head said that there were supernatural things here, though he was uneasy that they hadn't shown up yet. He would have thought his presence would have drawn them out.

For the first time, Tracey consciously glanced at Doumeki. For some reason, the sight of his intense amber eyes made her tremble. Biting back the need to wince, she turned back to Watanuki. "They don't look like much of anything. They're just…shadows, I guess. They sort of seem to be a lot of things at once. Like sometimes, they're kind of a blend of a cat and a rabbit, or something equally weird. Its like the shadows are trying to make them seem like something else." She flinched at her own words, the same darkness skittering across her gaze.

Doumeki's brow rose in bemusement. The woman's descriptions were unhelpful, childlike. And where was her son? If he were that young, wouldn't he be home? His earlier suspicion rose softly, tension settling smoothly inside his stomach. Taking advantage of her fear of him, he didn't let Watanuki confront what she had just said. "Where's your son?" He didn't care if his tone was accusatory. He wanted to know what was going on, and he wanted to know now.

Watanuki jumped at the archer's condescending voice, turning swiftly to take in Doumeki's expression. Of course, the taller boy was still expressionless. He gritted his teeth in affronted anger on the woman's behalf. Knowing that reprimanding the other boy would lead nowhere; he turned to apologize to Tracey-san. He didn't make it a half-turn before the pain in his skull skyrocketed. Gasping loudly, he clenched his eyes closed, curling slowly in on himself. If the sparking pain hadn't been so strong, he would have waved off the concern visibly assaulting both Doumeki and the frightened woman.

Doumeki was moving at the second the agonized gasp left Watanuki's lips, shifting to sit on the floor beside the shaking teen. He placed a large palm on top of the shorter boy's head, trying to comfort him. He already knew it wouldn't work. Gently petting through the afflicted boy's dark hair, he snapped amber eyes onto their host. Tracey instantly cowered at the heated look, her hands twisting around themselves in guilty fear. "What happened to him?"

Grey-brown shivering, she desperately shook her head. "I don't know! I-this hasn't happened before!" Tracey's words were choked at the end, tears glistening in her anxious eyes. Any other person would have felt compassion at the exposed, raw terror on her face. Doumeki only felt a flare of indignant anger. Dutifully repressing his rising temper, he turned away from her for a split second, his strong arms scooping the still quaking Watanuki into his arms. Without explaining himself, he sat back down, drawing the other boy back, so that he lay against his chest. Silence reigned after that, the two of them simply waiting for Watanuki to say or do anything.

Watanuki's eyes were still pressed closed, his head instinctively burrowed against the warmth of Doumeki's chest. Hissing hollowly, he raised shaking hands to tangle in the archer's clothes, twisting them so tightly his hands flashed bone white. He whimpered lowly, tremors tearing through his body in long, quivering intervals. Even through the daze of sensory bombardment, he could sense quiet growls along the edge of his sensory horizon. Trying to distance himself from the noise, he cautiously cracked pale blue eyes open. He was greeted with the fuzzy image of Doumeki's face, peering down at him with confusion. He managed a rasp of "Dou-" before his world faded into grey.


	2. Chapter 2

Notes: Wow, I can't believe it took me so long to finish this chapter. I really can't apologize enough for having kept everyone for waiting so long. I only hope you enjoy it, despite the wait. I'll promise to try to update sooner next time.

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**Disclaimer:** I do not own XXX-Holic. I make no profit from this fanfiction.

**Shadow Calls: Chapter 2**

_Justice delayed, is justice denied. -_** William Gladstone**

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Watanuki opened his eyes to an endless void of inky blackness. He blinked in confusion, head idly cocked to the side. "Where…?" Shaking his head, he took a moment to reflect. _'Okay, this isn't the first time I've suddenly woken up somewhere strange.' _It probably wouldn't be the last time, either. He sighed in frustrated resignation. _'So, what's the last thing that happened?' _The first thing that came to mind was the strong arms wrapped around him. Mouth tightening in suspicion, he pried deeper. He was sure that the last thing he had seen was a familiar, blurry face. As soon as the facts fully registered, an angry flush seared across his cheeks.

"That idiot! What did he think he was doing!? **I **didn't give him permission to hold me!! I would never let that dolt touch me like that! Never! Himawari-chan would have been so much gentler! And it would have been a special moment! That Doumeki doesn't know anything about atmosphere! Or appreciating personal space! He doesn't need to keep saving me! I'm fine on my own! Agggghhhhh! No more bento for him! Never!" He broke off finally, panting for breath. With the steam gone, he collapsed back to the depthless floor, sighing quietly. _'Now what?' _

Watanuki brooded for a few minutes before the first faint buzzing began. He ignored it at first, pushing it to the edge of his consciousness. He had more pressing concerns. For a while, the noise seemed content not being acknowledged. But not for long. Eventually, the sound shifted, a sudden, pressuring volume nearly exploding against the boy's eardrums. He flinched, his pale hands rising in an attempt to shield his ears. The clamor raged on. Gritting his teeth, a cold bead of pain-induced sweat dribbled down one of his temples. His arms were stiff, his hands pressed hard and flat against his ears. There still wasn't any relief.

Just as the noise threatened to drive him to drastic measures, the buzz died down. Instead, whispering growls and yips brushed against his senses. Cautious of the new development, he tried to push it away. It came back, more intense and grating. Wincing, he reluctantly embraced the sound. Even when he wasn't struggling against the tide of it anymore, the raucous was indecipherable. It was simply incomprehensible white noise. He quickly grew exasperated. "If you have something to say, just say it! There's no point in making me listen to this gibberish!"

Before he had a second to regret his words, the growling faded out of his hearing range. Then, nothing assaulted him. It was completely silent again. Not knowing whether to be grateful or nervous, he slowly pushed himself back to his feet. His scenery didn't change at all. There was no discernable change, neither on the visual or sensory level. It really seemed like he was by himself. Even if he did feel like he was being watched. "Come out already!"

"I was wondering when you would make demands."

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Doumeki stared intently at a weighted shelf of garish knickknacks. A lightly painted wooden box held a particular amount of his interest. He stubbornly kept roving over the flaking colors, darkened amber tracing over the small curling designs. He refused to allow himself to glance away from the current fascination. There was no need for him to look away. It wouldn't solve anything. The previous two hours had taught him that much.

Gradually, his resolve wavered. Exasperated with himself, he slowly turned to look behind him. Watanuki's condition was still the same. The other boy was lying on his back, his eyes peacefully closed. His slumbering body didn't stir. There wasn't even a sign that he was dreaming. Watanuki's form held the calm serenity of a coma. Doumeki's hands twitched into a half-formed fist before he forced them to relax. Watanuki would be fine. He had to believe that.

After the first tense twenty minutes, Tracey had left the two boys alone. Though Doumeki hadn't been looking at her then, she had still felt the weight of his anger at her. She couldn't stand the sensation of his protectiveness. Besides, watching him looming over Watanuki-kun had made her uneasy. It was as though she were eavesdropping into a very private moment. It inspired a fleeting sense of confused guilt. She wasn't sure of what she could possibly be interrupting. So, in an effort to escape the odd bombardment of her own emotions, she had retreated to the kitchen. She had been there for the past hour-and-a-half.

Pale eyes shimmering, Tracey stared dully into steaming coffee. The humid air brushed across her face, the trace scent of caffeine making her slim fingers quiver in reaction. Sighing softly, she brought the mug to her lips, going slowly to prevent her shaking fingers from dropping her drink. The first sip burned her tongue, her mouth numbing in response to the injury. Mentally wincing at her own recklessness, she fought back hysteric tears. _'Calm down. It's going to be okay.' _Unbidden, the image of Doumeki, standing rigid and unblinking over Watanuki's prone from, seared across her eyes. She flinched. _'I'm so sorry. I have no right to think things like that…'_

Eventually, Tracey managed to stave off enough of her self-deprecation to go back towards the den. She held her own empty coffee mug and another full cup in her forcefully steady hands, her expression cautiously neutral. Doumeki's eyes still frightened her, even though he had made no move to directly threaten her. Any person with that much unvoiced emotion was dangerous. At least, that was true in her experience. And she wasn't so foolish that she would ignore her most basic instincts.

Just as she had gathered together the nerve to speak to the stoic, unsettling boy, a harsh whisper of wind tore through the room. Flinching in surprise, she jerked slightly, a wave of hot cocoa splashing over a plastic rim and onto the carpet. She could only spare a moment of superficial concern before the icy howling began.

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Watanuki instantly wheeled around at the sudden voice, eyes wide in surprise. "What? Who's there?" The void around him suddenly seemed all the more oppressive and frightening. There were a thousand places to hide. There was nothing to cast back an echo, so movements were concealed with little effort. If there really were something moving around him in the darkness, he wouldn't be able to hear it.

He peered uselessly into the shadows for a lingering moment, blue deepened with wariness. Though he recognized the futility of the actions, he continued to stare at his surroundings, as if he could will something to happen. Surprisingly, it seemed that he could. Narrowing his eyes, he could make out a bulge in the encompassing blackness, a separate darkness moving against the background.

As his attention lingered on that speck of deeper blackness, his sense of depth perception reasserted itself. Though it was rather far away, he could make out distinct lines, a uniform structure in a sea of formless darkness. It seemed to flicker before taking up a stalking movement, swiftly covering the ground that separated them. Watanuki tried to tell himself that it might not be malicious. He wasn't very successful.

Eventually, pale blue eyes became locked with a gaze of frigid honey-gold. Sharp, pointed ears were pinned back, stiff and aggressively rigid. Strong muscles shifted beneath thick ebony fur, powerful ligaments tensed in anticipation. A low, regal snarl highlighted bared and chillingly white canines. Watanuki could only continue to stare into those cold eyes, in frightened respect of a wolf the color of the deepest shadows.

The wolf held the human's gaze with steely calm, the furious honey-gold brimming with intelligent hatred. _'You told me to come out. Now that I've obliged, you've fallen silent? Am I not what you expected?' _The voice came from all sides, floating on an invisible breeze. Despite the bewildering projection, it was distinct and easy to hear. Though, it was still a little disconcerting to realize that it was indeed coming from the wolf. It didn't help that, even with the mocking implications, it was still bereft of tone. The empty intonation only further brought home the fact that the speaker really wasn't human.

Watanuki gaped silently at the spectacle of a talking wolf, though a part of him, somewhere in the back of his mind, said that he shouldn't be so shocked. He'd seen stranger things, after all. It didn't help that the voice of reason sounded just like Yuuko-san. "Uh…sorry…but, yes, you really did surprise me. I apologize if I was rude. But…what's going on?"

The wolf's keen eyes glinted sharply at the sound of Watanuki's voice, its ears slowly coming to perk forward in curious disdain. The boy was startled as the growling took on a physical presence again, vibrating through his bones. _'Don't lie. You know why you're here.' _It ignored the confusion glimmering in those blue eyes. _'You were with __**that **__woman. You know why.' _

Watanuki glared, refusing to be cowed by the black anger that was suddenly seeping into the wolf's voice. "No, I don't know why. I only met Tracey-san today. She was being frightened by something in her home. The shadows that she and her son are seeing…those are you, aren't they?"

It suddenly snarled violently, canines scraping against the air with a premonition of danger. _'You…you lie. And even if that is true, you have no right to defend them. They deserve the fear.' _Honey-gold blazed with haunting fury. _'And there's only one way to make it stop. Give Her back!'_

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Doumeki grasped tightly at the wood of his bow, the rough texture of the string biting into his fingertips. Amber eyes roved cautiously over the disarray, the room's order completely eradicated. Tracey was cowering somewhere to the left and behind him, curled pitifully against a wall. He could still hear her whimpering to herself. Doing his best to ignore her fear and to center himself, his eyes narrowed as he caught sight of a wavering flash dashing from a corner cabinet. With only a minute pause, he tensed his fingers and released.

A flare of muted, grey-toned light and the shadow gave an angry and bemused shriek. But it didn't die. It simply regrouped with its fellows flickering in the room's darkest alcoves, an atmosphere of patient predation blooming into life. Doumeki's fingers twitched with a sudden sense of trepidation. "What's going on here?"

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